When purchasing products or services, either at a physical location or online (e.g., via the Internet), a customer is typically given the option to pay by credit card, debit card, or other type of financial instrument (e.g., electronic payment account). Many online vendors and even some in-person vendors often require the customer to submit credentials and/or go through a complicated process. For example, to pay by credit card, the customer may be required to present the credit card and/or submit and verify the card number, expiration date, card verification value (CVV), billing address, etc. To pay using an electronic payment account can be equally complicated, as the customer must remember an account username and password and such username and password may be vulnerable to security risks. Accordingly, the conventional payment methods present many inconveniences. Although it has long been a goal to make payment methods simple and easy to execute, any solutions must balance the need for security simplicity.